She turned around and scuttled off. Xunxun looked over her shoulders. Soon, rain came pouring down. By the time everyone had left, the raindrops were so big they caused considerable pain at contact.
When there was no one else, a scrawny woman emerged, her appearance obscured by a large face mask. All that could be seen was her clear eyes, and her skeletal frame.
The wind picked up and sent her teetering.
Raindrops down her cheeks slowly, a drop at a time, until they joined with the corner of her eye. She blinked hard, but there were no tears, only cold rainwater.
She turned and trudged away. Rain pelted down with a ferocity that threatened to break her back and nail her into the ground—so that she could never turn her life around again. But she walked on, a step at a time, with her back straight and her heart resolute.
It was her path, and she had to walk it, no matter how hard things might get.
Only the dead don’t walk.
And she didn’t want to die, so she had to press on no matter the circumstance.
The rain lasted for three days and three nights. When the sun came out, Xunxun stood on tiptoes at the window, touching the glass with her fingers.
The door clicked open. She heard it and turned around. It was Lu Yi. She scurried forward shakily. Toddlers at this age often fell as they learned to walk, so the adults decided to cover the ground with a thick carpet. That way, they wouldn’t hurt themselves even if they fell.
Xunxun clung onto his daddy’s legs and looked up at him. The two boys, being the quiet dandies they were, sat on the floor without a care in the world.
Little Xunxun’s existence often helped the adults remember that they were children, a fact that was easily forgotten because the boys were so easy to manage. They seemed to be uninterested in human interaction, very much like Lu Yi when he was little.
That’s why they loved Little Xunxun more; she was docile and pretty, like how a child should be. She often smiled too, but only before family members.
Lu Yi bent down and scooped her up. Xunxun pointed to the window, indicating that she wanted to be brought to the window.
She always liked looking at the window, or rather, looking out of it. She was always stuck on the same side of the window, and she loved the world outside.
Lu Yi pulled the curtains and lifted her up.
Xunxun leaned against Lu Yi’s shoulder, nibbling at her fingers thoughtfully. Perhaps she was storing the scenery—wind sweeping up leaves, passing passengers, summer sun, autumn leaves, spring grass, and winter snow—into her memories. These scenery were all special in their own way, and they witnessed her growth as much as she witnessed their occurrences.
She had grown from a baby that wasn’t even 2 pounds to a toddler that was nearly two. She learned how to walk, run, and have her own thoughts. She also had the intrinsic wiliness of toddlers.
“Are you hungry?” asked Lu Yi, looking down and placed his large hand on Xunxun’s tiny head.
She nodded vehemently. Lu Yi stroked her tummy. She construed that as a playful gesture and broke into a huge grin, her dimples sinking deep into her cheeks.
Lu Yi lifted her up and placed her between the boys. Ye Shuyun and the nannies were in charge of their meals.
One child was enough to keep one busy, much less three; fortunately, the three children were well behaved and easy to manage. They weren’t picky with their food either—not even Little Xunxun.
Ye Shuyun held a spoon as she fed Little Xunxun bite by bite. Little Xunxun had always been a very good girl. Before, she could only drink milk, but now she could eat soft food—like soggy noodles—as well. Without a doubt, she was growing.
Ye Shuyun scooped up a spoonful of porridge from another bowl and offered it to her.
“Have some meat porridge, Xunxun,” she cooed. Little Xunxun obliged, but frowned soon after. When Ye Shuyun offered her another bite, she turned her face away in defiance.
Her brothers showed a lot more appreciation for the food; it made Ye Shuyun tremendously happy to see them gulping down their food.
Ye Shuyun tried convincing her, but Xunxun would always turn her face away and shut her lips tight obstinately whenever she was offered meat porridge. Ye Shuyun had no choice but to feed her white porridge—Xunxun seemed to like that, at least.
“This kid doesn’t like meat.” Ye Shuyun had always arrived at the conclusion recently, despite having prepared all their meals since they could eat solid food. She always thought Xunxun was a little picky with food before she made her latest discovery: she only spurned meat.
“Were you a rabbit like Mama in your previous life too?” teased Lu Yi as he pinched her cheeks. To his relief, she had put on some weight lately. He wouldn’t have known what to do if she didn’t.
Xunxun looked up, gave her fingers a quick nibble, and beamed at Lu Yi. Her sweet manners melted everyone’s hearts.
The weather turned sunny after a few days, and Ye Shuyun and the nannies planned to make a trip outside to get some clothes for the children. The days were getting warmer, and the children had outgrown their clothes. They were growing fast, especially Lu Qi and Lu Guang, who were a lot taller than before. Like most girls, Xunxun was a little slower. Despite being triplets, Xunxun was almost a head shorter than her brothers.
